October 18, 2008

Former Deportivo la Coruna striker and Newcastle United new signing, Xisco, has threatened to deploy every weapon in his arsenal to bench Nigerian striker, Obafemi Martins and rivals when they return to full action after several months of injury.

The £5.7m forward who arrived at St James’ Park, just before the storm of Kevin Keegan’s departure erupted vowed to grab his chance under Joe Kinnear with both hands, insisting that he is ready to stake a tall claim in the starting line-up.

While revealing that he is determined to take it, the Spaniard noted: "I will get better and I will take my chance when it comes. Things always get better after more training and more games. I hope that is the case at Newcastle. You always need to become more familiar with people when you arrive at a new club."

He argued that his 6ft 3in frame advantage over Martins, could be tailor-made for the brutal nature of the Premier League, adding: "Football is different in Spain, but I think I can adapt fast. I wanted to come and play in the Premier League because it is a big league. Along with La Liga, it is the strongest league in the world. Most players who have the opportunity to come here do so. I just want to take my chance."

He expressed confidence that even with the return of rivals like Martins, Mark Viduka and Alan Smith after injury, he was in the box seat to stake his claim, even as he noted that he would be an ideal partner with England striker, Michael Owen. "I think Owen and I can play together. Of course we are different players on the pitch, but I think the combination is good. It is one that can work," he quipped.sunonline

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (CNN) -- The man wanted for questioning in the drug-related abduction of his 6-year-old grandson in Las Vegas, Nevada, has been apprehended in California, a dispatcher for a San Bernardino County detention center said early Saturday.A nationwide Amber Alert has been issued for Cole Puffinburger, 6, of Las Vegas, Nevada.

A nationwide Amber Alert has been issued for Cole Puffinburger, 6, of Las Vegas, Nevada.

The dispatcher, who did not give her name, said Clemens F. Tinnemeyer, 51, was arrested late Friday night in Riverside, California.

Earlier Friday, Las Vegas police said they wanted to question him in the case of his grandson's abduction.

Cole Puffinburger was snatched from his Las Vegas home Wednesday by three armed men who tied up the boy's mother and her fiance.

Tinnemeyer owns a sightseeing motor home service and works as a driver, police said.

He was last seen in Las Vegas on May 21. At the time, he was driving a white Dodge extended-cab pickup with Mississippi license plates KA6251.

He last contacted his family in August and was reported missing in September.

Authorities said Thursday that the case is related to "illegal narcotics activity" and that the family was targeted; Cannito said Friday that Cole was kidnapped by drug dealers attempting to recover lost money and property.

"These are extremely dangerous people," Cannito said. "This is as bad as it gets."

At least two of the three suspects posed as police officers to enter Cole's home about 7:25 a.m. Wednesday, police said. They tied up the boy's mother and her fiancé and ransacked the house before kidnapping the boy when no money was found, they said.

In a story published Friday, The Las Vegas Review-Journal quoted unnamed sources as saying a member of the boy's family owes a Mexican drug cartel between $8 million and $20 million, describing the relative as an alleged money launderer for the cartel and saying the person was in hiding.

A search for the boy spans much of the American Southwest, and a nationwide Amber Alert was in effect.

Cole is described as being 3 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 48 pounds, with blond hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a sweat shirt, dark jeans and silver-rimmed prescription glasses, authorities said.

The kidnappers were described as three Hispanic men who spoke with heavy accents.advertisement

National and local authorities have said that such drug-related abductions are occurring more frequently in communities near the Mexican border.

Anyone with more information is asked to call Las Vegas Metropolitan Police at 702-828-5678

While hometown Wildcats fans are waiting until next Friday to see High School Musical 3: Senior Year, audiences in France—France!—get the movie on Wednesday.

Wednesday!

A dastardly plot by Old Europe to have Zac Efron all to itself—at least for 48 hours?

Uh, no.

For one thing, says Mark Zoradi, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group, movies in France traditionally open on Wednesdays, not Fridays.

For another thing, Troy Bolton is dreamy in any language.

Yes, the HSM franchise, that all-American saga of young love, basketball and jazz hands, just so happens to have a fanatical following overseas.

"The music and the dancing really does travel," Zoradi says. "Music tends to travel really, really well."

And so do the HSM stars, as they and the paparazzi who worked their recent red carpet premieres in Europe could attest.

"The response was just fantastic," Zoradi says. "It was equal to what we've seen in the U.S. here."

Indeed, the first two HSM movies, both produced for and aired on cable, were watched by a combined 550.7 million worldwide, per Disney Channel stats. Viewers in the U.S. only made up about 20 percent of that audience, compared to 35 percent for Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Next weekend, HSM3 will make its theatrical debut in more than 20 countries. Like France, the United Kingdom and Scandanavia will be treated to Wednesday launches.

Americans, take heart. The HSM3 crew was back in the continental home of East High for last night's Hollywood premiere.

France may get to experience Efron and company on the big screen earlier, but the States gets them forever.

Earlier this morning, Travis Barker told fans he was "healing up quickly" and would be out of the hospital "b4 you know it."

He wasn't kidding.

On Friday, exactly four weeks after surviving a private plane crash, the former Blink-182 drummer was released from Sherman Oaks' Grossman Burn Center, the Los Angeles-area facility where he has been receiving treatment since Sept. 29.

The 32-year-old rocker will continue his recovery at home and has requested privacy while he continues to recover from the second- and third-degree burns he sustained in the Sept. 19 Learjet crash.

Prior to his California return, Barker was treated at Georgia's Joseph M. Still Burn Center for 10 days. He relocated to his SoCal home base on a specially equipped bus staffed by medical personnel.

Like his friend and fellow surviving passenger Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein, Barker is expected to make a full recovery.

For his part, AM is slowly but surely resuming his precrash life, having triumphantly returned to the spinning scene this week by joining Jay-Z onstage for a Hollywood concert.

An investigation into the crash, which killed the other four onboard, is ongoing.eonline